Where Heroes Die 2025 (Wild Dogs Productions) Review
Where Heroes Die finds Michael Fredianelli in another one of his favorite genres to explore, the World War II era. I am not sure if the movie is a reference to or inspired by the 1970 title, When Heroes Die, a Euro war flick with a similar set up/title or just one of those weird coincidences. Anyway, the movie does begin in the somewhat present day of 1989. Where a grandpa is recounting a story of an Air Crops pilot to his two grandchildren. It follows the Princess Bride structure of a flashback, where we have the grandpa’s voiceover to help aid us context and humor over the story.
These nurses do their best to give a pep talk to get the guy talking.
Once we are in the flashback, this is where the majority of the film takes place, where a group of soldiers find themselves trapped on a German island imprisoned by nazis. It’s here we join a rescue mission to try to get them out. We meet a wide range of crazy characters, such as The Doctor (played by Robert Paine) who is performing painful experiments on the American POW’s. One such experiment involves seeing how long someone can last drinking seawater. He is surround by a harem of sadistic nurses played by Rosanna Wyant, Krystal Shay and Sherill Quinn. Each of these actors manage to pull off a pretty convincing Russian accent, and you can tell they are having fun with their mischievous personas.
Michael Fredianelli takes on the role of Adolf Hilter himself, which makes one wonder how long he had to rock the Adolf toothbrush moustache look. When things start going off the rails, Fredianelli really brings a great (abit sweaty) performance. Derek Crowe and Bryan Palacios take on the roles of lieutenants who must break in and get out of the nazi facility. The overall casting is solid and manages to keep you immersed in the story.
In terms of visual effects, this may be one of Wild Dog’s most ambitious projects yet. There are old war world II plane sequences which mix a variety of practical and CGI effects to simulate a plane crash. Now granted, a few shots do feel a bit fake with the CGI, but thanks to the variety of footage and shots used, Wild Dogs is able to sell the illusion fairly well. It’s quite an impressive feat considering the low budget nature. A shoutout must also be given to the bunker Adolf Hitler is hiding out in. Maralynn Adams was able to secure a pretty great looking location. Unfortunately the nazi base itself feels a tad limited in scope. Most of the film takes place in this warehousey location with Nazi flags hanged up on the wall. It works for the most part, but it begins to feel a bit sparse and empty looking after a while.
Overall though, the film manages to add in some humor despite the dark tone of it’s setting. There is a running gag with a braindead guy who wanders around the battlefield, managing to avoid bullets by sheer luck that does bring some laughs. Then ending, while bleak in a way, is also kinda hilarious and epic. Where Heroes Die is another solid war effort film, showing that Fredianelli has been honing his skills and pushing the ambition with each war effort.
